Returning Souls, a film by Hu Tai-Li with violin performance by Cho-Liang Lin of work composed by Shih-Hui Chen

In the most famous ancestral house of Taiwan's matrilineal Amis tribe, carved pillars tell the community's most cherished legends. Some forty years ago, a strong typhoon toppled the house, after which the pillars were moved to the Institute of Ethnology Museum.

Recently, young villagers, with assistance from female shamans, challenged tribal members and village representatives to communicate with the ancestors residing in the pillars. They eventually brought those souls back--rather than the pillars themselves--and began reconstructing the house.

Join us for the Texas premiere of this intimate family story within a politically charged historical framework.

The documentary, Returning Souls, depicts this fascinating story. In an environment highly influenced by western religions, national land policy, and local politics, the dream of the young for cultural revitalization speaks to people around the globe who work to connect past and present, old and new.

Schedule

Reception: 3:00pm
Program: 4:00pm

Tickets

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Presented in collaboration with the Chao Center for Asian Studies, Rice University and in association with the University of Texas at Austin, Columbia University, Harvard University, Michigan State University, and University of California, Berkeley.

Supported by The Brown Foundation, Inc., Houston Arts Alliance, City of Houston, The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, Bank of America, and United Airlines – Official Airline of Asia Society Texas Center.

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